Jeddah: The Director General of Passports, Major General Dr. Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, received the first flights of beneficiaries of the Makkah Road Initiative at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, in the presence of the Consul of Hajj Affairs in the Republic of Bangladesh, Counselor Muhammad Zuhair Al-Islam.
According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the Makkah Road initiative is designed to provide seamless services to pilgrims from participating countries. The process begins in their home countries, where pilgrims’ biometric data is collected and Hajj visas are issued electronically. This is followed by completing passport procedures at the departure airport after ensuring health requirements are met. Luggage is coded and sorted according to the pilgrims’ transportation and accommodation plans in Saudi Arabia, before being directly transferred to buses that take them to their accommodations in Makkah and Madinah. Partner agencies ensure the delivery of the baggage to the designated destinatio
ns.
The Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, Hajj and Umrah, and Information, along with the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Authority for Endowments, the Hajj and Umrah Services Program, and the General Directorate of Passports, is implementing this initiative. Now in its seventh year, the initiative continues to streamline the pilgrimage process for international pilgrims.